PSA Group win IVOTY 2021

For many years the “International Van of the Year” (IVOTY) was just that, a single van but more recently the award has reflected the growing emergence of ‘badge engineered’ products. That’s to say a group of vans sharing the same basic bodyshell and driveline and so it is with the 2021 winner(s).

It comes as no surprise the 2021 award goes to the very impressive medium van products of the PSA Group, namely the Peugeot e-Expert, Citroën ë-Dispatch, Opel Vivaro-e and Vauxhall Vivaro-e and the award was presented at a ceremony at their R&D Centre in Velizy, near Paris.

French IVOTY jury member Richard Pizzol presented the official trophy to Xavier Peugeot, Senior Vice-President of Groupe PSA’s Light Commercial Vehicles Business Unit on behalf of his colleagues at a live web-based broadcast.

During his speech Xavier interestingly mentioned a couple of statistics on van usage which are worth noting, firstly 44 % of their customers in the medium van segment never drive more than 300 km ( per day and secondly, that 83% of them drive less than 200 km (124 miles) per day in average. Behind these findings is the reason the group offers two different battery sizes of 50 and 75 kW. He also disclosed there was a growth in tenders now adding an ‘battery electric vehicles’ requirement at a much higher pace than expected.

Of course, every manufacturer is on the road to electrification and PSA group are no different, Xavier reiterated their commitment to have 100% of our LCV range electrified by the end of 2021, and the next inline to be launched in a few months will be their small van offering the Peugeot e-Partner, Citroën ë-Berlingo, Opel Combo-e and Vauxhall Combo-e.